


the night we met

by someonegetshurt



Series: fics about nick/emily [1]
Category: Absentia (TV)
Genre: 1x08 spoilers, F/M, Season 1, Season 1 Spoilers, amazon prime series, watch absentia on amazon prime
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-01
Updated: 2020-09-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:39:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26182036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/someonegetshurt/pseuds/someonegetshurt
Summary: He was amazed and intrigued by her all at once. “So did the roommate really have trouble with the bouncer, or were you just making that up?”She almost laughed, but tilted her head to analyze him instead. “Kind of cocky aren’t you?”ORExtended writing about the flashback of how Nick and Emily met in 1x08.
Relationships: Emily Byrne/Nick Durand
Series: fics about nick/emily [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1901344
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	the night we met

**Author's Note:**

> thank you so much for clicking on my work! nick/emily are the babies of s1 and it’s interesting how their relationship is throughout the entire show. i was always interested in learning more about their past, especially after they showed the flashback in 1x08, which you can watch at this link:
> 
> https://youtu.be/6cVGmI-wvmU

She hadn’t even planned on going out that night — she had worked a long shift at a local law enforcement agency she was interning for and would need to leave for that again at 7am — but her roommate begged her to come. She wasn’t much for the dating scene, not even in school. It didn’t help that most guys found her more intimidating than pretty once they got to know her.

Yet, here she was. At a bar, enjoying the music, and enjoying the first time where men weren’t harassing her.

“He’s cute,” her roommate, Liz, pointed in the direction of the bar. They were currently playing at the pool table, a talent Emily apparently denied at being good at, but had a pleasant time looking at the men in their line of view.

“You’re not wrong,” Emily admitted, holding the cue stick in one hand and laid the other on her hip. The man was occupied with a bobbed blonde who touched his knee every time she found whatever he’d say funny.

“Kick her out,” Liz laughed, eyeing Emily’s stare. She hit the striped 8 ball and the rest scattered across the table. 

Liz was probably one of the best roommates she had ever had. She was a courageous girl from New York City struggling to finish law school, and working part-time at a restaurant. They met when Emily’s father took her and her brother out for lunch and she was the server. Warren strikes up a big conversation with Liz, plugging in Emily’s current situation every chance he got. It worked out in the end because she was looking for a new roommate after her ex-girlfriend moved out. Moving in with Liz was one of her smarter choices at the time. She gained a roof over her head that was separate from her father’s, food to eat, and a new trusted friend. Friends were hard to come by with her, but she was doing just fine on her own. Proving to her father that she wanted to make something of herself that wasn’t a doctor like her brother.

“I think I just might,” Emily smirked as she positioned the cue stick back on the wall and waved goodbye to Liz. “Don’t do anything stupid while I’m gone.”

“Okay, but I didn’t mean now, Emily,” Liz hollered. “Let me just fucking beat you first!”

Too late. She was getting closer to the man, oblivious to her approach as he was still staring at the blonde. She needed to think of a game plan quick… She saw the blonde woman outside waiting in line earlier as she and Liz entered the bar, talking on the phone with some girl named Jenny. Maybe it was her roommate?

“You’re telling me you never —“

“I’m sorry, are you Jenny’s roommate?” Emily interrupted the blonde, and the two looked at her skeptically.

“Yeah?” the blonde scoffed, annoyed with the interruption.

“I think she’s having problems with the bouncer outside,” Emily informed her, pointing towards the exit.

“Oh shit,” the blonde cursed, stepping away from her seat. “I’ll be right back.”

The man stared at Emily while the blonde slid out of his sight. He was captivated by her natural beauty. Her eyes were a soft brown, almost hazel. Her cheekbones were high, her smile irresistible. Her hair was pulled back in a bun, allowing large hooped gold earrings to be seen, and she donned a black leather jacket that covered her glittered dress.

She stepped forward with a small smile as she waited for the bartender, but she noticed him staring at her in the process. He tried to hide it with a swig of his drink. When he placed the drink down, she moved her head to look at him and flashed a bright smile. “So what’s your name?”

“Nick,” he said, locking eyes with her. The first thing she noticed about him from the pool table was his oceanic blue eyes, but a beard revealed itself up close. It was definitely still coming in near the ends of his face, but that didn’t stop Emily from finding it attractive. It’s a cute attempt, she thought to herself.

She smiled and bit her lip before disclosing her own name to him. “Emily.”

He was amazed and intrigued by her all at once. “So did the roommate really have trouble with the bouncer?”

She kept her smile plastered on her face, careful not to giggle at his question.

“Or were you just making that up?” he asked genuinely, but his face remained neutral.

She almost laughed, but tilted her head to analyze him instead. “Kind of cocky aren’t you?”

That made him laugh, and his smile kept afterwards. The bartender handed Emily her drink, and she stared at it a moment before returning her gaze to him and admitting the truth. “I made it up.”

He just nodded his head, taking another sip of his drink. “Thanks.”

She just smiled again, turning her head to view the bar in its entirety. Her roommate was still over at the pool table, chatting with a shorter girl who seemed to crave physical contact by the way she kept nudging Liz’s shoulder. The second view was the dance floor where most of the people who came here typically stayed. The music began to turn up just a bit louder, and she decided that was her move to make.

“Do you like to dance, Nick?” she asked him after taking a long sip of her dark colored drink.

“No, no,” he shook his head, pleading. “I—“

“Come on,” she said, an open mouthed smile on her face and her hand grabbing his. She was excited. She twirled his hand over her head and spun herself in a circle before pulling him in the direction of the dance floor. He glanced back around, assuring himself that his date was still absent before directing his gaze at the back of Emily’s head.

————————

Emily only enjoyed dancing because it made people crawl out of their comfort zone, or for some, hide back in it with their awkwardness. Nick was somewhere in the middle of that. He mostly bobbed his head back and forth, as well as swayed his body oppositely of Emily’s.

“You don’t do this often, do you?” She laughed at him. She danced like no one was watching: bending her body back and forth, up and down, shaking her head, and moving her hands up and down her body.

“That’s a good theory,” Nick shouted over the music. He was getting tired of the same motion, and also somewhat dizzy, because of most likely developing heat exhaustion from the amount of people he was surrounded by. “I need a drink.”

“Okay,” Emily shouted back. He was a few steps in front of her, but she directed her eyes to the place where he was sitting before. Shit. The blonde was back. “Wait!”

Nick turned back around to confirm she was following him, giving her the opportunity to lunge forward and hook her arm in his. He squinted at her in confusion before realizing she was pointing to where he was headed. “Dolly Parton’s back. Do you really want to keep talking to her?”

Nick mentally agreed, but physically he took it further: he dropped his arm and grabbed Emily’s hand to lace his fingers with hers. Emily smiled in that moment, satisfied both with her night and the actions of this man she had only known for almost 2 hours.

“You didn’t tell me your date was seeing someone?” the girl from outside, Jenny, told the blonde as Nick and Emily now stood in front of them.

“Date?” Emily asked sourly, glancing between the two girls and Nick. “You mean my date?”

“No, I mean—“

“Why don’t you two get out of my sight,” Emily chastised, dropping her hand from Nick’s and placing both of them in front of her chest.

“It’s just a mix-up, Ems,” Nick said, sliding his arm around her waist. “Look, Kendra, I’m sorry you thought—“

“Kendra, is it?” Emily interrupted. Nick dropped his arm around her as she stepped forward and practically towered over the two girls. “You’re out of his league anyway, so why don’t you just go enjoy this fantasy of yours. You know, in your dreams. While I, of course, live the reality.”

She turned back towards Nick and placed her hands on either side of his face before pulling him close for a deep kiss. He reciprocated, moving his hands to cup her face, her bottom lip between his teeth.

“Get a room,” some drunk yelled nearby.

Nick pulled back at the comment, a small smile forming on his lips. Emily licked her lips and smiled sheepishly at him, kissing his cheek. By the time she was aware of her surroundings again, the two girls were nowhere to be found.

“Ems, huh?” Emily said, blushing. “Nobody has ever called me that besides my family.”

“You’re cute when you’re bothered,” Nick chuckled.

Emily took his hand and walked toward the bar stools, patting the one next to her. “Let’s get you that drink, Nick.”

He sat next to her as she wished, but pulled her bar stool closer to his and slid his arm around her waist. She accepted the public display of affection, and challenged that by placing her hand on the nape of his neck and began to rub his skin between her fingers.

“What are you drinking?” Emily asked, unable to stop smiling.

“Coors Light,” he replied, giving her a small smile. She rolled her eyes at him in disappointment.

“How boring of you,” she laughed. “What are you? An accountant?”

He belly laughed at that guess of an occupation. He removed his hand from her waist to reach into his pocket to grab his wallet, anticipating a surprised reaction. “Take a look,” he handed her the open faced wallet and she marveled at his photo. She removed her hand from his neck to grab the wallet from him.

“You’re definitely not an accountant,” Emily mimicked his laugh, mesmerized by his photo ID. Her fingers glided across the laminated card, the FBI logo engraved directly in the ID card itself and not atop the laminate.

“And you?” he asked her as he took his wallet from her and placed it back in his pocket. “What are you drinking?”

“Diet coke,” she admitted shamefully, smiling again. She shook the glass lightly in her hands poking fun at her choice of beverage.

“No alcohol?” He asked, shock on his face.

“I’m interning with Boston PD while awaiting my background check from your neck of the woods,” Emily explained, her eyes darting between him and the glass in her hand. “More importantly, I work tomorrow.”

“Does Miss Emily have a last name?” he asked.

“Byrne,” she replied, finishing off her drink. She recalled his last name from his photo ID. “It’s Byrne, Agent Durand.”

The two smiled at one another, truly enjoying each other’s company compared to the previous people they met and partners they’ve (mostly Nick) had.

“Why police work, Ms. Byrne?” Nick inquired.

“Brother’s a doctor which would stress me the fuck out,” Emily chuckled. “Dad’s a police officer at Boston PD. He’s retiring probably within the next fifteen to twenty years, but he’s shown me the ropes here and there.”

“Have you ever dated law enforcement personnel before?” he inquired, setting his drink down at the table as he awaited her answer.

She raised her eyebrow at him and drank the last of her coke. “Never.”

“You’re in for one hell of a ride then, Byrne,” Nick teased, hoping both his joke and this night would land him a spot at her side.

“You truly are a cocky one, Durand,” she smirked, putting her hands around his face and pulling her toward him. He had his hands on either side of the barstool, steadying himself as their lips locked and their tongues danced. She pulled away for air and let their foreheads touch before adding: “Take me back to your place, Agent.”

“You’re sure?” he asked, pulling away and sipping the last remnants of his beer. 

She pulled out her own wallet and slapped more than enough cash down to cover both of their drinks. She stood up from the barstool and leaned down to the side of his face and whispered, “You have no idea.”

**Author's Note:**

> please review, as this is my first published work on this site! i appreciate all feedback. also, i totally ship every person emily has been with in seasons 1-3 (rip tommy). i just haven’t seen enough content about her relationship with nick so i decided to be the one to do so!
> 
> nick didn’t really redeem himself to me until s2 anyway with that dinner scene of him and alice, so... 
> 
> please let me know your opinions about the show!! nobody in my social circle in real life will watch the show and i’m dying to chat with others about it.
> 
> You can stream ABSENTIA starring Stana Katic, Patrick Heusinger, and Matt Le Nez on Amazon Prime (I encourage you to do so).


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